DeChambeau (63) opens 4-shot lead in Northern Trust
Bryson DeChambeau kept pouring in birdies as everyone around him went the other direction Saturday in The Northern Trust in Paramus, New Jersey.
DeChambeau finished with two birdies, making an 18-foot putt on the last hole to cap off his 8-underpar 63 that gave him a four-shot lead over Keegan Bradley. Along with seizing control of the opening FedEx Cup playoff event, DeChambeau might make it tough for Ryder Cup captain Jim Furyk to ignore him.
He narrowly missed earning one of the eight automatics spots on the U.S. team. Furyk makes three of his picks a week from Tuesday.
DeChambeau made nine birdies, four in a five-hole stretch to start pulling away.
What made him stand out, even more than his tam o’shanter cap and single-length shafts, was all the stars around him were in reverse. Of the final 10 players to tee off, DeChambeau and Adam Scott were the only ones to break par. Scott had to birdie three of his last four holes for a 70.
Brooks Koepka, who shared the 36-hole lead with Jamie Lovemark, had a 13-hole stretch in the middle of his round with three bogeys and 10 pars. He shot 72 and fell seven shots behind. Dustin Johnson, who started the day tied with DeChambeau, added a double bogey to a week that already included two triple bogeys. Johnson birdied his last hole for a 72 to fall nine shots back.
Scott was one shot behind when he made two bogeys, then chopped up the par-3 11th for a double bogey.
Bradley finished his round about an hour after the leaders teed off, making five birdies over his last seven holes for a 62. He was leading at the time and figured he would be at least a few shots behind when the third round ended.
LPGA TOUR
Brooke Henderson took the lead into the final round of the CP Women’s Open, fighting through gusting wind at Wascana Country Club in pursuit of a breakthrough home victory in Regina, Saskatchewan.
The 20-year-old Canadian star shot a 2-under 70 in clear and cool conditions to reach 14-under 202. Jocelyne Bourassa is the only Canadian to win the national championship, accomplishing the feat in 1973 at Montreal Municipal in the inaugural La Canadienne.
Henderson won the LOTTE Championship in April in Hawaii for her sixth LPGA Tour title. She again attracted a large gallery, with fans lining the fairways to watch her.
Nasa Hataoka of Japan and American Angel Yin were a stroke back. Hataoka had a 69, and the longhitting Yin shot 71. Yin played alongside Henderson in the final group.
Top-ranked Sung Hyun Park of South Korea was 12-under after a 70.
WEB.COM TOUR
Jim Knous birdied the first five holes and shot a 6-under 65 for a share of the third-round lead with Robert Streb in the Web.com Tour Finals-opening Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship in Columbus, Ohio
Knous matched Streb at 12-under 201 on Ohio State University’s Scarlett Course. Streb, the secondround leader, birdied the par-4 18th for a 68.
Joseph Bramlett (65) and Denny McCarthy
(68) were two strokes back, and Seth Reeves (65), Curtis Luck (68) and Matt Jones (69) were 9-under.
EUROPEAN TOUR
Three-time major champion Padraig Harrington and Andrea Pavan shot flawless 7-under 65s to share the lead after the third round of the Czech Masters in Vysoky Ujezd, Czech Republic.
Harrington and Pavan each had seven birdies to finish with a 17-under 199 total at the Albatross Golf Resort near Prague.
Irish veteran Harrington, who won the British Open in 2007 and 2008 and the PGA Championship in 2008, is chasing his first European Tour win since the 2016 Portugal Masters. Italian golfer Pavan is seeking a first victory.